"Teddy Toes offers footwear in supreme leather with memory foam soft padding in soles and breathable lining to keep the sensitive feet of the kids comfortable. Teddy Toes has brought joy to babies and mothers with products that embody love. The vibrant products along with exquisite tailoring makes Teddy Toes a preferred choice for every discerning parent who wants their kids to dress in style without compromising on the quality."- Varun Ahluwalia, Founder,
Teddy Toes

Varun Ahluwalia, Founder, Teddy Toes

ST: Please tell us
more about your start-up.

Teddy Toes is an
unprecedented kids’ footwear brand that offers avant garde concepts, unique
designs and supreme quality footwear for infants and kids till five years of
age. Keeping the playful and innovative nature of the kids in mind, Teddy Toes
has come up with the concept of “Draw and wipe”, First Teddy Shoes etc.
The brand offers footwear in supreme leather with memory foam soft padding in
soles and breathable lining to keep the sensitive feet of the kids comfortable.
Teddy Toes has brought joy to babies and mothers with products that embody
love. The vibrant products along with exquisite tailoring makes Teddy Toes a
preferred choice for every discerning parent who wants their kids to dress in
style without compromising on the quality. The future plan involves
presence to make Teddy Toes accessible at leading MBO and retail chains spread
across the country. Teddy toes will be soon present all over the country
and is looking for distributors worldwide

ST: What was your
idea/inspiration behind starting up a new venture in the kids accessory
market?

We want to capture high growth markets, including the ones in
Tier 2 cities. Idea was to bring into
India the international quality n comfort standards in kids fashion footwear
segment. We are overwhelmed by consumer
response to the brand. In a very short span of time we have built a strong base
of repeat customers, who keep themselves updated about new collection, offers
et al. It strengthens our belief that the market is ready for premium kids wear
brand that offers superior quality with unconventional yet innocent design
sensibilities.

ST: What are business
opportunities in kid’s accessory market in India?

Children today in India exactly know what to wear and how do
they want to be dressed. This has created opportunity for kids wear brands
and retailers in India, in terms of expanding their product lines and also
attract new customers. We have adsorbed duties
and kept nominal margins to remain competitive for a premium brand. We are also
supported by the fact that we are a lean organization.

ST: How has been your
entrepreneurship so far?

As mentioned earlier, the upsurge in buying capacity along with
global exposure to emerging trends have gotten parents excited. They want to
provide the best and the latest for their kids nowadays. From ethnic to casual
to formal to occasion wear, there is a buyer for every brand.

ST: What challenges do
you face in your day to day professional life, if any?

It is
very challenging to design footwear for kids as you are restricted in terms of
fabric quality and detailing. The most difficult part for Teddy Toes is to
maintain a balance between quality and costing. In general, getting the fit
right becomes challenging amidst varied growth patterns exhibited by kids of
similar age group. Usually, the right indicator is foot size.

ST: How big is your
team? Are you planning to hire more?

We are a small team of 12 people as of now and definitely
we are planning to expand it.

ST: What are your
future plans?

We
have planned to present in all up market retail chains n open a few of our own outlets.
We plan to expand both by adding newer product lines
like accessories and by expanding our retail presence across India as
well as abroad. We are overwhelmed by consumer
response to the brand. In a very short span of time we have built a strong base
of repeat customers, who keep themselves updated about new collection, offers
et al. It strengthens our belief that the market is ready for premium kids wear
brand that offers superior quality with unconventional yet innocent design
sensibilities.